How to Choose A Designer

When you initially contact the designer, he or she will evaluate your assignment by asking questions about your interests, family, lifestyle, and hobbies. If they are not asking these questions they may not fully understand your personality and individuality and are at risk of misjudging your ideas and intentions for the design as well.

1. Style Preference Questions

A designer will need to know what look you are trying to achieve. They should even ask you to provide pictures that best reflect your style. Visual aids will be the best way to get your vision across.

A really creative designer can create several different looks and styles from a core set of tools and resources. If you have seen the designer's portfolio pictures or past designs and do not like their style in general, you will most likely butt heads from the start. A designer can offer an array of options and suggestions tailored to your needs, but if you find yourself disagreeing with the majority of what they have to offer, you will not be a good fit with that designer and will have a difficult time being satisfied, which will be frustrating for both you and the designer. Keep looking.

2. Basic Personal Questions

Designers should be asking you questions that would familiarize themselves with your personal life. After all, they will be designing a space for your regular personal use. Is the designer asking about your family, your kids (i.e. how many do you have, what are their activities, names and ages, any pets?). Consider sending pictures of the family to send a clear message about your family dynamics. Even if your family consists of you and your pet, those are all helpful to know when designing the space.

3. Lifestyle Questions

Is the designer asking about your lifestyle (i.e. how often do you entertain, what types of people are you usually entertaining, friends, clients or professional peers)? This information will be useful to a designer who truly wants to design your perfect space. What about your hobbies? Do you need a place to read or sew? Do you spend a lot of time in the kitchen? What is the flow in your home or office? These details can help the designer develop a clear idea of how you use your spaces and what is important in your daily routine.

4. Color Questions

A look, feel or a certain style can be interpreted into any color combination. The designer should ask about your colors. What colors do you like to wear, what colors do you feel relaxed in, or what colors create your ideal atmosphere? A good designer may even be able identify those colors for you based on a personal meeting or visit to your project location. The surrounding outdoor colors may also play an important role in determining the most effective indoor colors.

5. Project Questions

Is the designer asking about the business matters as well (i.e. timeframe, scope of work, location and budget)? Interior design becomes an artistic expression of yourself in a living, functioning environment. You may be pleasantly surprised by the elements a designer can suggest or identify that will add value to your life and to your space. This is why it is important to develop a trusting relationship.

By discussing these topics, you will develop your rapport with the designer and determine your compatibility. Are you on the same page? Do you feel comfortable discussing your ideas with this person?

1. How long have you been in business?

Experience is important. Of course there are always exceptions, but this is a business where experience will show in the details, how comfortable the designer is with making and giving helpful observations and recommendations.

2. How long have you been in the area?

Each designer has their own assortment of vendors, wholesalers, local tailors, local carpenters and furniture makers that they tend to work with on a regular basis. That is the benefit of hiring the designer in the first place. Those connections and relationships add value to the design firm and to you. Even when the designer arranges shipping for certain products not available locally, they will still want to have a solid, reliable local network of freight carriers and movers. Those community connections can really help a project run smoothly by offering better reliability with fewer surprises.

3. How comfortable are you with construction projects?

Many design projects, require minor to major alterations to interior walls, floors, windows and/or basic structures. Whether you are adding beams or creating a built in bookcase, it is important for the designer to be able to identify feasible options before offering a recommendation, this saves you time and money. A designer with strong skills in this area will know what is or isn't possible, and will create a design that is both cost effective to build and still achieves the custom look you are going for.

4. What is your fee structure?

Designers work in many different ways. Some will charge a consulting fee for the initial consultation and others may require a retainer fee to work out the preliminary design. If you decide you do not want to proceed with a designer after substantial design time has been invested, these up front fees will cover the costs incurred during that process. Most designers are able to purchase your furniture items, accessories and artwork at wholesale or a discounted price and will typically charge a percentage fee on top of all these purchases. This is similar to what a retailer does, however you will get the benefit of the designers help with all of your purchases. This is called the "cost plus" method. Most common is a combination of methods including an hourly fee for other types of services. Be sure to discuss all of the fees and how they are charged before you start your project.

5. May I call your references?

This is an excellent way to understand how the designer operates. Talk to past clients and ask about their overall experiences and details about how the designer handled the budget and timeline. Call more than one reference if possible. Direct recommendations are often the best form validation for choosing a designer.